Letters of Recommendation - please help!!

[melars]

I just graduated in December, 2014 with my B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders (Speech Pathology). I decided to work full time after graduating to save up some money and start paying off my loans. Also with how competitive grad school is, I figured I'd wait until I was truly ready to go back to school -- also, I was obviously nervous about potentially not being accepted! (like every other SLP student haha)

 

My question is, how did everyone go about getting letters of recommendation?? I didn't really create relationships with professors when I was in school. I did just fine in my classes, I just was never the one to go up and talk to them or really get to know my professors. Call me shy, but I wasn't exactly a "teacher's pet". 

 

Now that I'm about 6 months removed from school, and considering starting the process of applying to grad schools, I'm super nervous about how to go about getting letters written for me! If I didn't establish those relationships when I WAS  in school, how can I expect professors to remember me enough to write anything about me??

 

Any advice would be super appreciated!! This is one of the things that I am most stressed about!! 

 

Thanks!! 

[SLP2Bhopefully]

Hi!

 

I was in the same boat as you where I wasn't super close with my professors either. However, I did apply right out of college so I asked for my letters while I was still taking classes with them.

 

But my advice for you is since you haven't seen them in a while since graduating is to write them a very friendly email, explaining why you would like them specifically to write your letter. Whether it be them teaching your favorite course, or feeling like you took something important away from their class. And also mention to them how you did in your class with them. Then offer to send them your transcripts, resume, and anything else they may need to know about you in order to write your letter.

 

Some professors feel they know you enough to write you a letter without seeing a resume and all that, but there are others who always ask for those things regardless. This way if you offer it to them right off the bat, they will be more inclined to say yes, as opposed to saying no because they don't know you so well. Hope this helps!

 

 

Good luck!

 

 

Oh and also introduce yourself in the email and remind them of when you took their class, i.e. semester, year, etc. 

Edited May 30, 2015 by SLP2Bhopefully

[atlremix]

Is it possible that you had an advisor that you had more contact with than a professor? If so, this person might be able to provide an academic letter of recommendation on your behalf. Were you involved in any academic organizations? A faculty member affiliated with a club or group that you were involved in as part of your major could also be a great resource as a reference.

 

You mentioned that you are working full time. Is this in a field that is related to your career? With some guidance, a supervisor may be able to provide a suitable letter of recommendation based on your applied skills.

 

As a last resort, you might be able to volunteer as a research assistant for one of your former professors. It is important to ask whether the recommendation provider can write you a strong letter rather than simply writing you a letter, so it might be worth your time to volunteer and let them get to know your capacity for research outside of the classroom.

 

I hope these ideas help Good luck.

Edited May 31, 2015 by atlremix

[hopefulspeechie16]

I am in the same situation as you! Just a question for those of you that took USU courses, would it be okay to ask for a LOR from a USU online prof. I don't know how schools would judge those since it's not an in-person interaction.

[JFFA]

I am in the same situation as you! Just a question for those of you that took USU courses, would it be okay to ask for a LOR from a USU online prof. I don't know how schools would judge those since it's not an in-person interaction.

Yes, I used one from USU online and two from my previous bachelors and got into 9/11 schools. Schools have no way to know if they are online or not. Remember these profs also teach on campus and write letters for those students they teach in person. As long as the relationship is good (you got a good grade), the letter should be just the same quality as if any other prof wrote it. USU has a good rep in the SLP grad school circle. Simple ask the professor if he/she would be willing to write you a STRONG letter of recommendation? Profs will usually be very up front about the caliber of letter they can/will write you. Profs often asks for and it's a good idea to send things like resumes/cvs, lists of activities, personal statements, samples of work (ex papers, projects) so profs can personalize it.